Preston North End (home)
- Preston North End are 8th in the Championship on 44 points from 30 games, making them playoff contenders for 2025-2026.
- Preston have won just one, drawn one and lost three of their last five Championship fixtures, leaving their playoff ambitions in question.
- Paul Heckingbottom has instilled a pragmatic, defensively disciplined style on the team since joining in August 2024, but the Lilywhites have lost their two most recent home matches.
- Preston play a structured 3-5-2 system that is solid, presses when necessary and transitions quickly when winning the ball back.
Portsmouth (away)
- Portsmouth are 20th on 33 points from 28 fixtures, fighting to stay clear of the relegation zone.
- Portsmouth are on an unbeaten run of five games (2 wins, 3 draws) that has pulled them away from the bottom three, including a 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in their most recent match.
- John Mousinho has brought an aggressive press, plenty of vertical play and a flexible formation to Pompey, either 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-3-2, that can be used to disorganise opponents.
- Portsmouth have shown improved goal output recently, collecting six goals in their last five fixtures.
Head-to-Head
Portsmouth haven’t managed to win in their last away trip to Preston North End.
Key Players
- Lewis Dobbin
- Lewis Dobbin has been their best player in the Championship with six goals in 23 appearances and provides the main spark for the Lilywhites going forward.
- Adrian Segecic
- Adrian Segecic has been Portsmouth’s best finisher this term with five Championship goals in 23 games and his recent form - two goals in the last five - has been crucial as they have collected six goals in the same five fixtures.
Betting Insights
- With their current momentum, Portsmouth’s odds look far too long for this trip to Deepdale, but a draw might be a decent result for the south coast club at 3.15.
- Preston have won six, drawn five and lost four of 15 Championship home games, averaging 1.27 goals per game at Deepdale.
- Portsmouth have won only two of their 13 Championship away games this term, drawing five and losing six, scoring 0.69 goals per away match and conceding 1.69.
- This match could be closer than the odds suggest because of Portsmouth’s unbeaten run, which reflects the club’s development under Mousinho.
Prediction
If Preston win, they will be on the verge of the playoffs , while if Portsmouth get a result it will show that they have come of age under Mousinho.
